Amusement device



A. MCK. WATERS.`

ANIUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY25| i919.

1 L?. Patented July 6, 192m.

UNi'isn srarssra'rs,

` iinnnnw nien. wnrsns, or criminnarr, oir-iro.

Leanser.

i Application filed July 25,

and uselil improvements in Amusement Devices, oi which th@ fOl-lOWlg is il 513mm cation.

lli/ly invention relates more particularly to improvements in hobby horses, particularly of that type` disclosed in my latent No.

'1,197,085,6lated `September 5, 1916.

.among the objects sought tobe accon1- plished are to provide a hobby horse so constructedandlinojuntedthat it is adapted to simulate the actions ol a @bucking` bronco; that `is so driven` and operated that a plu rality ot hobby horsesmmaybe drivenjfroin a prime source, the hobby horses being placed and arranged eitherproniiscuously or in a selected order, whereby in my former `Patent No. 1,197,085, the hobby horses were placed in concentric circles in relation to a common central source of motive power.

ln tliepresent invention the hobby horses need not have rotary movement in relation to a central point.

Other ob'ects and advantages vvill appear as the description progresses.

ln theaccoinpanying drawing, in which litre reference `numerals apply to similar parte, l have shown one oi a series ol.E hobby horses that `coinstitutes my improved amuse- :ineut devine, andsince the motive povver is applied to asproclet or sheave tl'irough the medium lot a 'flexible drive it is inanitest that A the hobby horses may be placed in. any desii-ed position, such `as for example, in a circle, in a roiv (such as horses are arranged for a race), or arranged in multiple rovvs. By my improved flexible drive the arrangement ot the' hobby horses can be niade `to suit anyneeds, sincean endless tlexible drive engages the sprocket )or sheave ot each hobby horse and gets its motive power Yfrom any prime s`ource,such `as trom an electric motor or ,irasolene engine. l do not 'Wish it to be understood as contining` this invention to the disclosures made in said draiviiigand description, asinany va riations y Vmay be introduced, Within the spirit otthis invention, as donned in the claims succeeding the said description.

" ln the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

lila/tented July it?, 1999. raie,` seriai no. erases.

a side elevation partially in cross section o' a hobby horse mounted upon a svvivel supportinp,` pedestal, including; the driving ineaiis Ltor operating a hobby horse; Fig. 2, a iront vleiv ot the supporting pedestal and drivingl means; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the hobby horse `in the `high position, and

tilted `di'l'li'erently than that shown in Fig. 1;

i Fig. 4t, a cross sectionkthrough the sheave,

taken at li-ll., Fig. 1; lT 5, a diagram illustratinp,` the loiv position of `the cams; ltig. (i, a diagram illustrating the halt Way position ol the cams; Fig. i', a diagram illustrating the high positionol' the cams.

ln detail the construction illustrated in the drawing includes the supporting base 1, for the verticalsivivel stein 2 Which is pivotally mounted in the said supporting' base l, and guided in said supporting base by the hub 3. .'lhe vertical swivel base 2, preferably in the torni ol a clevis, has studs a rigidly mounted therein, and on vvhich said studs are rotatably mounted the geared cams 5 and G respectively. Rotary moveinent is applied to the geared cams 5 and 6 through the medium of a pinion. 7, rotatably mounted. on a sleeve 8, through which sleeve pass the liobbyhorse oy'ierating` bars 9 and respectively. ll havcshovvn a sheave 11 as being` integral with the pinion 7. Motive power is applied to the sheave through the medium oll a 'flexible cable 19, which is driven 'from any suitable prime source, such as an electric motor or gasoleue engine, and hence not sl'ioivn in the drawing'.

rllhe sleeve 3 is pivotally mounted i in a tliimble 13 which is rigidly mounted in the operating` tloor or platform 11i, as said tlooi or platform usually is ci? Wood. it the lower end of sleeve 8 a collar 15 which holds the bevel pinion 7 in correct mesh with the teethl of the geared cams 5 and (i. l have shoyvn the extended shoulder 16 oli such length that it acts as a top thrust against the thinible 13. i

rlhe horse 17 is caused to toeter or tilt by the differences ot travel oi the operatingu bars 9 and 10due to their operative 'engagement with the cam races 18 and 19,` respectively. 'lFhis diilierence may be relative, as by advancing the position oi the geared Cain 5 in reference to the gearedcain 6, or vice versa, oi' it may be actual, by having1 tivo distinct cam races 18 and 19, each sutliciently cliliierent in shape to give the desired results. il projection ot the operating bar 9 titl works in the cam race 18, and a projection 21 of the operating bar 10 works in the cam n race 19. The geared cams 5 and 6 not only f shown the 'camiaces 18 and 19 as being of the same shape but Awith su'tiicient relative angular displacement to give the necessary amount oi teeter. VThe words teeter and tilt are used synonymously. rl`he relative angular displacement is illustrated by the diagrams Figs. 5,76 and 7. In Fig. 5 the cam race 18 is set at an angle 22 with cam race'19 and hence this gives a vertical difference 28 in the positions of the projections 20 and 21, with the projection 21 helow projection 20. In Fig. G each cam race has traveled through van angular space of forty-five degrees, the cam race 18 rotating clockwise, and the cam race 19 rotating contra-clockwise, and in this position there is a vertical difference 24 .in the positions of the projections 20 and 21, with the projection 2() below projection 21. 1n Fig. 7 each cam race has traveled through an angular space o'lninety degrees (in reference to Fig. 5), and in this position there is practically no diference in the vertical positions of the projections 20 and 21. Hence theteetering movement corresponds to the vertical relative differences of the travel of the: projections 2O and 21, and the upward movement of the horse 17 corresponds to the actual vertical travel of the projection 20,

' since I have illustrated the operating bar 9 as being pivotally mounted on stud 25 which corresponds with the Y center of teeter of the horse 17. Operating bar r10 is pivotally mounted on stud 26, and studs 25 and 26 are rigidly mounted in a bracket 27 having suitable extended members in which the studs 25 and 26 are mounted.V The relativedifferences of travel of the projections 20 and 21 cause the horse 17 to teeter, and when projection 2O is above projection 21 (as in Fig.l 5) thehorses head is elevated, and when the projection 21 is above the projection 20 (as in Fig. 6) the horses tail is elevated, and when projections 20 and 2l (as in Fig. 7) are in the same vertical position the position of the horse is normal. The cam races 18 and 19 can be so placed that any combination of teeter-movements may be arranged, and any amount of teeter obtained: thus a realistic simulating of the plunging of a bucking horse is hereby effected.

It is evident that the resistance that cani gears 5 and 6 meet in raising and teetering the horse will tend to lock said cani gears and rotate the vertical swivel stern 2 in the supporting base 1, in the direction of the rotation of the bevel pinion 7; to counterbalance this effect the torsion spring 28 is provided. The spring 28 encircles the huh 8 within the chambered supporting base l, and having one end 29 fixed in the supporting base and the opposite end 30 fixed lo the hub 3. When the torsional resistance of the spring 28 becomes greater than the resistance opposed to the cam gears 5 and 6, the vertical swivel stem 2 will be held relatively stationary (the spring 28 then heing wound or at its greatest tension) andV the cam gears and (i will rotate at equal velocities, causing the raising of the horse and the tcetering to occur in regular order. At uncertain or irregular intervals, due to a releasing of the friction of the moving parts or less resistance momentarily offered by the rider, the tension of the spring 2S will be released and will unwind, and this causes the horse with the coacting o erating bars 9 and 1() to turn or swing horlzontally in respect Vto the pivotal point in the supporting base 1. This turning movement of' the operating bars 9 and 1() effects the relative positions of the projections 20 and 21 in respect to the cam races 18 and 19. It is evident that a relative retarding of cam gear 5 will slow up the rising and lowering action of the horse and accelerate the teetering action of the horse by the counteraction of the speeding up of the cam gear 6, the

eliect produced on the rider being that of riding a plunging horse, very closely simulating the natural action of a bucking horse. As the relative speeds of the cani gears return to normal. which normal position is when spring 28 is at its greatest-tension or wound there will be a corresponding speeding up of the rising and lowering action and a slowing down of the teetering action, producing a bucking effect, thc severity of which may be regulated by the stiffness of spring 28 which spring regulates the amount of horizontal swing of the vertical swivel stem 2. As the unwinding of the spring 28 may occur at any moment, and the interval of unwinding is irregular` the buclrings will take the rider unawares, as do the buckings of a live bucking bronco. For rough riders no amount of bucking will be too severe, and the amount of bucking can be regulated hy spring 28, using a spring of the required torsional stifness. For children, the supv porting base 1 and the vertical swivel stem 2 may be locked together by any suitable means so that no horizontal movement rensfiaeav suits, and all movements ci the horse will loe of the vertical swivel stem 2 regular and the bucking action eliminated..

Having tlius described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. An amusement device, including a base, a supporting pedestal swiveled in said base, means to simultaneously raise or lower and tilt said amusement device, and torsion means connecting said base and said supporting pedestal.

2. An amusement device, including a base, a supporting pedestal swiveled in said base, means journaled on said supporting pedestal for raising and lowering said amusement device, means journaled on said supporting pedestal for tilting said amusement device, and means for simultaneously operating the two aforementioned means.

3. An amusement device, including a base, a supporting pedestal swiveled in said base,

driving means to simultaneously raise or lower and tilt said amusement device, and a grooved slieave connected with said driving means for operating said amusement device.

et. Ain amusement device, including a lease, and a supporting pedestal swiveled in said lease; a geared cam journaled on said supporting pedestal to raise and lower a ver* tical operating bar with a projection engage ing a race in said geared cam that raises and lowers the amusement device; a second geared cam journaled on said supporting pedestal to raise and lower a second vertical operating liar with a projection engaging1 a race in said second geared cam that tilts tlle said amusement device; and, a bevel gear integral with a driven sheave mounted on a vertical sleeve to simultaneously 0perate the two a'lore-mentioned means.

ln testimony whereof ll ailiX my signature. 

